Global Arts Studies

UC Merced Arts Opens Season with East L.A. Band Las Cafeteras

October 3, 2025

UC Merced Arts has announced its 2025-26 season of performances, exhibitions and public art programs, beginning with the return of East L.A.’s electrifying band Las Cafeteras. The band’s Día de los Muertos-themed production, “Hasta La Muerte,” comes to Merced on Wednesday...

Beyond Cinema: Reviews Shared for Professor's Films on Immigrants and Refugees

Global arts Professor Yehuda Sharim's 2019 documentary "Songs That Never End" continues to garner attention both on and off the screen. The film, along with two of his previous works...

Professor’s Latest Film Examines Latinx Women’s Experience in a Divided America

Global Arts Studies Professor Yehuda Sharim has released his latest project, a short film titled “Red Line Lullaby” or “Cancion de Cuna Colorada,” which examines the varied...

Global arts Professor Yehuda Sharim’s 2019 documentary “Songs That Never End” examines the feelings of displacement refugees grapple with upon relocating somewhere new.

Documentary on Refugee Experience to Premiere at UC Merced and Abroad

Global arts Professor Yehuda Sharim’s 2019 documentary “Songs That Never End” will continue to be screened at several international venues over the course of the coming weeks....

Founding UC Merced Faculty Member Appointed to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery has announced that UC Merced Art History Professor ShiPu Wang has joined the museum’s Board of Commissioners for a four-year term. His appointment...

UC Merced is commemorating the tremendous accomplishments of its graduates with a virtual ceremony streamed at 10 a.m. May 16.

Virtual Commencement Promises Surprises for Grads, Families

While the COVID-19 pandemic has altered many things this spring on the UC Merced campus — from classes and research to events — UC Merced is making sure the Class of 2020 has a forum to...

Professor’s Documentary Film about Refugee Family Honored at Vienna International Festival

“Songs that Never End,” Professor Yehuda Sharim’s intimate film about a family transitioning from Iran to life in Texas, is a finalist contender in the International Documentary...

Grammy-Winning Drummer Antonio Sanchez to Perform Free Concert in Merced

Antonio Sanchez broke new ground for musical storytelling with his award-winning soundtrack for “Birdman.” He’s earned multiple Grammys for his work with guitar master Pat Metheny....

Skulls, or calaveras in Spanish, are a traditional symbol of Dia de los Muertos.

Students Bring Death to Life in Annual Downtown Dia de los Muertos Celebration

Death is a part of life, a loss surrounded typically by mourning and grief. But what if the passing of a loved one were also a transition to be celebrated? That is the sentiment behind Dia de los...

Students collaborate together to identify pieces of trash they can utilize for their structure.

Students Engineer Art from Trash for Annual Yosemite Facelift Event

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or in this case art. Each year Global Arts Studies Program Lecturer Richard Gomez brings students to Yosemite to create an art installation...